Is it even feasible............

[ihuntelk]

to partake of all that Alaska has to offer?

I've always said that I was never leaving Wyoming unless it was for Alaska. Well, I am going to throw my name in the hat for a job in Fairbanks. The more I look at the Alaska regs (seem way confusing!), draw odds, number of big-game species, upland species, waterfowl, fishing, and then the sheer enormity of that state, it seems a little intimidating.

I doubt I'll be paying too many planes to ferry me around. Can a hard-working DIY hunter effectively access and hunt all the species we dream about? My list (in order) would be Dall Sheep, Grizzly (or Alaskan Brown Bear), mountain goat as 1, 2, 3 with a smattering of blacktail, caribou, moose, and black bear all tied for 4th and Muskox, bison and elk at 5th with the draw odds making those impossible to rely on.

Can I take my girls out on the weekends and find them a caribou within walking distance of the rig? Will a moose hunt require a 10 day flight and float? Do you need your own ocean schooner or a float plane to hunt goats? Can we go shoot sharpies, ruffs and ptarmigan in the evening after school?

I've always dreamed about living in Alaska but never thought it might even be a possibility. I'm sure I'm jumping the gun but the ability to hunt and enjoy the country is probably more important to me than the actual duties of the job I'm applying for.

I'll quit rambling and go back to daydreaming about white specks across the valley 3 miles away. Any thoughts would be appreciated!
-Cade

 

[BuzzH]

The hunting up there is alot different, IMO/E.

The things you need a guide for, sheep, griz, and goat you can do a lot cheaper than a NR.

The hunts I've done with my buddy that lives there that dont require a guide, the only price difference between us is my flight up to Anchorage and a bit more for permits.

There is hunting from the road systems for sure, Bambistew and a few others have proven that it can be done. For some things, its almost a given that you'll be needing a flight or a boat ride to pull off some of the better hunting.

I think if you're looking to hunt sheep, I'd make the move sooner rather than later, I see some major changes on the horizon for them.

For the things I want at this point from AK, I can do pretty easily from the lower 48. I just like a longer season, more diversity, and not having all the complicated logistics that AK many times requires. I like being able decide at noon to throw my rifle in the truck and sneak out for a quick deer, elk, or pronghorn hunt before dark. Thats not real likely to be something you can do in AK, everything is a production if you want to do it right.

I would never try to sway anyone away from moving there though, its a neat place. Just not somewhere I'd choose to live at this point.

 

[Bambistew]

I'm not going to sell Alaska... but i will say this. I wouldn't trade MT, WY or anyplace for what I have. Maybe I got all the elk/deer bugs worked out of my system, growing up in MT, but I just don't get to amped up over hunting them anymore. I still can't decide if I want to go to MT this year, or use my vacation hunting here.

The fishing alone, is worth living here. You couldn't pay me to live in Fairbanks though... YMMV

 

[alwayshunting]

I have also thought of living in AK as the hunters dream and may soon be applying for a position up there, but the more I look into the downsides, it makes the decision harder. I will be watching responses to you questions.

On a side note Buzz, what changes in sheep hunting are you referring to? I have seen this mentioned a few times on a couple sites over the last few years.

 

[bigskyguy]

My wife and I moved up here two years ago from Big Sky, Montana. We elk hunted a bunch in Montana and logisticly the hunting here is more difficult. It is possible to hunt ptarmigan and spruce grouse after work as well as black bears (remember the days get pretty long). The fishing is great and once a resident (1 year) you can dip net for salmon which fills the freezer fast. Fishing for halibut and rock fish is great and swinging flys to giant rainbows never gets old. My wife shot a great bull caribou on a walk in hunt that was easier than most of the elk hunts I've done, so I think taking your daughters out bou hunting is totally within the realm of doable. The weather is worse (at least here in the chugach) than in Montana. Warmer and wetter (gore-tex rules). Some areas around Anchorage see alot of action and pressure but once you venture out a ways it gets roomy real quick. ATV's will get you to places with a bunch of other people on ATV's. A jet boat will do the same in most cases. A seaworthy boat will gain you more access and possibly lost at sea or waiting for the tide to change. A super cub or cessna 185 will reign supreme or crash into the mountains. My wife has done really good on the tag drawings and scored a Tok mgmt Dall sheep tag for this season so we're pretty stoked on that. It's definetly more logistical work to do a hunt here. The road system is pretty limited and there isn't much truck hunting or driving out into the boonies and glassing at dawn. All in all I like it about the same as Montana. Good hearted tough people who value tough people and time outdoors. September, November, and December were tough. September we had 20" of rain and Nov, Dec get pretty dark and dreary. We try to hightail it to the in-laws in SanDiego when we've had enough. Fairbanks gets nice and warm in the summer and wicked cold in winter. Personally I prefer Anchorage as far as cities go. More to do and see and the Mountain Bike trail network in Anchorage is sweet. I do love the ability to fish for sockeye in the morning and ride mountain bikes till 11pm in the summer on/near the Kenai river. Yeah, when the wind stops the mosquitos get annoying and the black flies suck, but the horse fly's in Montana could get brutal too and it takes alot of wind to blow those things away.The skiing is pretty good (most of the time), heli-skiing is amazing, snow-mo riding is the best in the world (yes, the world), and there are a lot more good resturants (especially Asian, Thai, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Indian, etc....) in Anchorage than in Bozeman. It's a huge state and I have no chance whatsoever of seeing most, or even half of it......and I like that.

 

[TBinKodiak]

Nothing ventured nothing gained. Had I not rolled the dice 11 years ago I would have missed out on one hell of a ride.

 

[L. I. Yankee]

Awesome pics...thanks for sharing......

 

[bigskyguy]

Damn TB! You get it done! Those photos are sweet. I really like the Ram heads holding up Johnny. And it ain't too often you see elk racks on the deck of a boat.....in the ocean.

 

[Dave N]

I'm also considering a "change of location" and was looking for tag fees. Not having any luck. What do residents have to pay to hunt moose, caribou, etc.?

bigskyguy, we were in your neck of the woods a couple weeks ago. Had lunch at the Silvertip.

 

[Dinkshooter]

I'm also considering a "change of location" and was looking for tag fees. Not having any luck. What do residents have to pay to hunt moose, caribou, etc.?

Ha! when you hear the answer to that question you are going to crap a cat.

It is nearly criminal.

 

[Bambistew]

Ha! when you hear the answer to that question you are going to crap a cat.

It is nearly criminal.

Dave, for $46 dollars I get all the hunting and fishing I can afford. All tags are free, except for a few areas where a draw permit costs you $5 or a locking tag for brown bear will set you back $25.

Here's some quality reading on the subject. Apparently we're still paying too much.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/139678-Residents-paying-for-tags

 

[Dave N]

Oh my! I need to find a house and a job!

 

[TBinKodiak]

Dave, for $46 dollars I get all the hunting and fishing I can afford. All tags are free, except for a few areas where a draw permit costs you $5 or a locking tag for brown bear will set you back $25.

Here's some quality reading on the subject. Apparently we're still paying too much.

http://forums.outdoorsdirectory.com/showthread.php/139678-Residents-paying-for-tags

Don't forget, $500 for a Nunivak Muskox tag if you're lucky enough to draw.

Did I mention I will be forking over $500 for a Nunivak Muskox tag next February... :hump:

 

[basshauler]

Serious jealous envy for Tbin. Congrats on having the kajonies to drop everything and follow your passion!! Awesome pictures. Tbin I would love to see a picture of your boat

 

[TBinKodiak]

It's a big island and it helps to have friends.
I have a 22' skiff with covered counsel, pictured below. It's a good boat for day trips, but lacks a cabin. Do most of the island hunts off the following three boats.



This one is my buddies boat, it's a 28' landing craft with cabin (sorry I don't have one of the entire boat). We put a lot of hours on this over the years and put a lot of fish and ducks over the rail.



Only gripe I ever had about his boat is the back deck is a little tight. A foot forward on the cabin would have made a huge difference IMO. it gets a little hectic back there when you hook into a big king




This is my other buddies, 48' seiner that has since been stretched to 57'. I did 3 crab openers on this with him and several hunts. It's a work boat, but it is great to have a live aboard to hunt elk or bear off of later in the season. We drew cow elk tags for this fall and will be going on this boat.

 

[basshauler]

TBin You are killing me!! Awesome pictures!! Keep the pictures coming for those of us who are stuck in decent paying jobs down here who lack the nuts to throw in the towel and live the dream. I think if I brought home crab legs every day my wife might let me live up there.

 

[dustinf]

TB, which island are you hunting elk on?

 

[Art Vandeley]

Great pictures

 

[jryoung]

Damn, my Dad had a cousin that lived on Kodiak and we always had an open invite to come up. Sadly, my Dad's cousin died on McKinley a few years ago. Beautiful place, would love to spend some time up there.

 

[rmyoung1]

TB, thanks for sharing the pictures. They're awesome. And aside from the great photography of beautiful scenery and awesome animals, that is a very, very big-bodied elk. Whoa.